Big Ten Daily (Feb. 6): Juwan Howard Adamant His System Works at Michigan
Juwan Howard has no plans of making significant changes to his style. Despite Michigan's 7-15 record and current five-game losing skid, the Wolverines coach was adamant that the system he has in place in Ann Arbor works.
Howard was pressed about Michigan's shortcomings following a 69-59 home loss to Rutgers, falling to 2-9 in Big Ten play this season. That mark has the team sitting in last place in the conference.
After another disappointing effort, Howard said the team doesn't seem to have the same level of buy-in as previous years.
"We have a great staff. We've done this before and had success while doing it," Howard said. "But the buy-in has to be reciprocated on the other end, as well. When you have the buy-in that you're gonna do what we practice and apply it, it works.
Michigan's disastrous season dates back to mid-November. The first sign of trouble came in a 94-86 home loss to Long Beach State. In December, the Wolverines dropped another game in Ann Arbor to a mid-major program, falling 87-76 to McNeese.
Howard's team has won just one game since a Dec. 16 victory over Eastern Michigan, taking down Ohio State 73-65 on Jan. 15. That lone win is sandwiched between a pair of five-game losing skids.
In the most-recent streak, Michigan has lost all five games by double digits. The Wolverines' current margin of defeat in those contests? 17.2 points per game.
Still, Howard says the success the program has had in previous seasons is an indication that the system works — at least when everyone is on the same page.
"One year there was Covid, but that team got healthy, they were gonna make the tournament. And how far, we really don't know because the season stopped," Howard said. "The second year that team made it to what? The Elite Eight. Then the third year the team went to the Sweet Sixteen. This s*** works. It does."
Howard is justified in pointing to past success. The Wolverines have certainly made strong NCAA Tournament runs under his guidance. The problem? He's also describing a steady decline in the program's success.
Since finishing with a 23-5 record and reaching the Elite Eight in the 2020-21 season, Michigan's record has gotten worse each year. It finished 19-15 in 2021-22 and posted an 18-16 mark last year, settling for an NIT bid.
Michigan will likely miss the postseason entirely for the first time since 2014-15. The Wolverines are going to finish below .500 for the first time since 2009-10.
Programs certainly go through difficult stretches. But the trend in Ann Arbor doesn't look great. If Howard's system truly works, it better start showing results ... and sooner rather than later.
A Big Ten-SEC playoff?
Last week, the Big Ten and SEC announced a joint advisory group of university presidents to "address the significant changes facing college athletics." What that actually means remains a bit of a mystery.
But college football analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy posed an interesting question about this new partnership. He argues that the two leagues could form their own Playoff, forcing other schools in other leagues to make a decision.
“How fast could this pull away? What’s stopping the SEC and the Big Ten from saying, ‘Yeah, we’re just going to start our own Playoff?’ McElroy said on WJOX's McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “And you guys can battle for that CFP trophy all you want, we’re going to start our own and then we’re going to crown a champion from the 34 member institutions that are under our umbrella. And if you’re out, so be it.”
The Big Ten and SEC account for the two most-profitable brands in college athletics — at least from a conference perspective. Separating from the rest of the college football world wouldn't be all that shocking.
Is that the plan for the two leagues? That part is unclear. But McElroy's suggestion is a legitimate one. As the Big Ten and SEC continue to work together, it wouldn't be all that surprising if they tried to create their own College Football Playoff format.
Rex Burkhead announces retirement
Former Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead has decided to call it a career. He announced his retirement from football in a social media post on Monday.
Burkhead spent 10 seasons in the league after being selected in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He played for the Bengals from 2013-16 and also had stops with the New England Patriots (2017-20) and Houston Texans (2020-22).
Burkhead ends his NFL career with 1,908 rushing yards, 1,534 receiving yards and 26 total touchdowns. He was also a member of New England's Super Bowl LIII-winning team.
While at Nebraska, Burkhead enjoyed an outstanding career. In four seasons with the Huskers, he accounted for 3,329 rushing yards and 507 receiving yards. He scored 35 total touchdowns while in Lincoln.
Following his announcement, Big Ten Network shared highlights of Burkhead's best moments while at Nebraska.
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